Will the muster drill process ever change?

[jdb in AZ]

Royal Caribbean/Celebrity has the best way to do it! On Embarkation morning, you watch a couple of videos on their app, and it marks on the system that you watched it. Once onboard, you go to your station. There is ONE crew member scanning everyone's cards/QR codes from each stateroom, and that's it!
That way, you make sure everyone knows where to go AND free up the crew. There is NO reason for Disney to make us go through this. It is those telling details that show that Disney's business is NOT cruising...

One one of our Celebrity cruises the muster video was presented in 13 languages. Sure, most of the passengers spoke English, but the video was a good way to reach passengers from so many nationalities.

On a different note, the muster drill on a river cruise basically told us that in case of emergency, grab a life jacket and swim for shore.

 

[hrhdhd]

This. If I'm remembering correctly, the Costa Concordia disaster - which took place before mandatory prior to sailing muster drills - happened after some passers had boarded (it was a multi-leg sailing with people joining at different ports) and they had not yet conducted their drill when the disaster struck. So you had a bunch of people who had no clue where they were supposed to go which only added to the chaos.

Sure, but the captain was a dolt, and many of the muster stations were unusable due to the nature of the "accident" (I use the word loosely), so even people who knew where their stations were would have been confused about what to do.

No muster can adequately prepare people for chaos.

 

[kiford]

No muster can adequately prepare people for chaos.

But multiple muster drills can more adequately prepare those in charge of emergencies and give them experience in managing crowds, chaos and confusion. Drills are as much for the crew as for the evacuees.

 

[Boopuff]

We recently cruised Celebrity, we had to both pre-watch the drill, then we had to report to our muster station. They were very strict about each person in the cabin had to check in. They also announced those who missed the drill had to report ASAP.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

This. If I'm remembering correctly, the Costa Concordia disaster - which took place before mandatory prior to sailing muster drills - happened after some passers had boarded (it was a multi-leg sailing with people joining at different ports) and they had not yet conducted their drill when the disaster struck. So you had a bunch of people who had no clue where they were supposed to go which only added to the chaos.

Even with in person people will still not know where to go and what to do. Look around and most are barely paying attention.

 

[hrhdhd]

But multiple muster drills can more adequately prepare those in charge of emergencies and give them experience in managing crowds, chaos and confusion. Drills are as much for the crew as for the evacuees.

I'll stand by my statement even for crew. No one knows how she will behave in a true emergency until it happens.

 

[hrhdhd]

Even with in person people will still not know where to go and what to do. Look around and most are barely paying attention.

I was once lambasted on here for mentioning that someone who posted "I'm at my muster drill!" should have been paying attention.

 

[dwg]

I agree 100% with a couple of the previous posters that the muster drills are as much for the crews as the guests. We are platinum so have been on a few Disney cruises. We always see the crew training while we are sailing in addition to the muster drills. I am sure at least some of the training is mandatory by regulation so I assume other cruise lines do the same. Seeing the additional training does give me confidence that the crew is ready for emergencies. The more training the better. As previously posted you never know how a crew member or even passengers will act in an real emergency.

 

[71 Truck]

On a different note, the muster drill on a river cruise basically told us that in case of emergency, grab a life jacket and swim for shore.

 

[JLTraveling]

I'll stand by my statement even for crew. No one knows how she will behave in a true emergency until it happens.

This is true. BUT, I can unequivocally state that the more training the better. I worked in residential mental health. One of the requirements was aggression control training. I was a tiny barely 18 year old girl, and my instructor was an adult male built roughly like the side of a barn. He went ALL OUT portraying the role of a dangerous client with a weapon (his weapon was fake obviously, but he fought me full-on), and my job was to safely take him down and disarm him. It took quite a bit of training, but I was able to successfully do so in three separate scenarios to pass the class.

Fast forward six weeks. I'm on the unit along with one coworker and our program director (who was stupidly wearing a tie). One of the clients (a very fit male in his early 20s, who also happens to have schizophrenia and has not been taking his meds, giving him both incredible strength and zero concern for his own safety or anyone else's) has obtained a chef's knife from the kitchen and slit his own wrists, and is now in full-blown attack mode wielding the knife at us. Because we had been through that intense level of aggression control training, my coworker and I were able to work as a unit, seamlessly and safely taking down the client and disarming him without any collateral damage to ourselves or the other 20 clients gathered around (the program director was not so lucky, he was nearly strangled with his own tie and not in much position to help). Had we not been through the training, it could have been a literal bloodbath on that unit.

No, you never know how you're going to react. But I can say firsthand that to a large extent, your training WILL take over.

 

[Mags2002]

Not unless it can be guaranteed that every single Guest will do the right thing and know what they have to do/where to go in an emergency

 

[MamaMermaid]

As someone who survived a sinking cruise ship (MS Sea Diamond), I think it's beneficial to do in person drills.

 

[Jsoenning]

My problem with the in person is historically it's hot, sun is in your eye, you can't hear anything that is being stated, and since I'm tall I'm usually made to stand in the back so even if the sun wasn't in my eye, I wouldn't see anything.

Counter that with Carnival who has the whole family immediately go to the muster station upon boarding, scan each individual card, watch in a comfortable location where you can see and hear, and you are done within 5-10 minutes of arrival.

I'd choose Carnival's method anytime.

I do still however cruise on Disney. I just grumble as I know I probably will stand in the sun waiting for folks that didn't show up and not hear or see anything.

 

[ThinkTink91]

That way, you make sure everyone knows where to go AND free up the crew. There is NO reason for Disney to make us go through this. It is those telling details that show that Disney's business is NOT cruising...

Former crew member here. New crew were NOT prepared for what an emergency could look like. Not prepared for what its like directing 4000 people to their stations which is what would be happening during a real emergency. The practice for the crew is so important. As someone who was an assembly assistant 3 yrs pre Covid and then experienced a fire onboard, needing to be evacuated from my room at 3am, I wasn't scared at all because I had done it so many times and I felt very prepared if they announced we needed to evacuate guests.

If I'm remembering correctly, the Costa Concordia disaster - which took place before mandatory prior to sailing muster drills - happened after some passers had boarded (it was a multi-leg sailing with people joining at different ports) and they had not yet conducted their drill when the disaster struck.

This^^^ They make us watch the documentary on this when we get trained. And the safety officers who do our training bring up Costa all the time. It was quite scary watching the footage as a new hire but it made us take our training very seriously.

 

[wide awake]

Even with in person people will still not know where to go and what to do. Look around and most are barely paying attention.

This. I’ve been on Carnival, Princess, Cunard, and DCL this year, DCL was the only line requiring the old drill and I can tell you I wouldn’t have been any better prepared for an emergency on Disney than on the others. It’s poor customer service on their part.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

This. I’ve been on Carnival, Princess, Cunard, and DCL this year, DCL was the only line requiring the old drill and I can tell you I wouldn’t have been any better prepared for an emergency on Disney than on the others. It’s poor customer service on their part.

Yup, between things like this and the kids club age change I am losing interest in sailing with them .

 

[CMontheseas]

Former Assembly Station Leader here, DCL (like other cruise lines) routinely has US Coast Guard inspections where they come on board to observe our drills. Based on how much we were brutally lectured about this from the Safety officers on board, lets say the crew weren't doing as well during the times of the Virtual Muster. We also were reporting less guests overall actually taking the Virtual Muster seriously and having to contact these staterooms individually afterwards ended up being more time-consuming than just going back to this older format.

Management explained to us that since DCL voyages are mostly comprised of first time cruisers moreso than with the other cruise lines, it was important to have that physical experience of gathering families together in these spaces especially for us to be able to observe the people we have and see ahead of time who we can count on to follow instructions when needed, and the ones who might need extra assistance, or even those who might grumble and be a bigger problem in the event of a real emergency.

Remember that none of the crew really enjoy doing it (except for just a few douchebags over the years that really like to look important and yell at lower ranking crew) but it's part of what we signed up for. The in-person muster sucks while its happening but having been through 2 nighttime "Red Parties" scenarios where we had guests in the stations in low light it helps to have even a few people who pay attention and know where they're going.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Former Assembly Station Leader here, DCL (like other cruise lines) routinely has US Coast Guard inspections where they come on board to observe our drills. Based on how much we were brutally lectured about this from the Safety officers on board, lets say the crew weren't doing as well during the times of the Virtual Muster. We also were reporting less guests overall actually taking the Virtual Muster seriously and having to contact these staterooms individually afterwards ended up being more time-consuming than just going back to this older format.

Management explained to us that since DCL voyages are mostly comprised of first time cruisers moreso than with the other cruise lines, it was important to have that physical experience of gathering families together in these spaces especially for us to be able to observe the people we have and see ahead of time who we can count on to follow instructions when needed, and the ones who might need extra assistance, or even those who might grumble and be a bigger problem in the event of a real emergency.

Remember that none of the crew really enjoy doing it (except for just a few douchebags over the years that really like to look important and yell at lower ranking crew) but it's part of what we signed up for. The in-person muster sucks while its happening but having been through 2 nighttime "Red Parties" scenarios where we had guests in the stations in low light it helps to have even a few people who pay attention and know where they're going.

Thank you for this info. I always look around "my" lifeboat group to see who's paying attention.

 

[soniam]

Thank you for this info. I always look around "my" lifeboat group to see who's paying attention.

Don’t follow them. They don’t know what they are doing

 

[Karin1984]

It's money.

I do not believe that Disney has higher standards when it comes to safety than other cruiselines.

I do not believe that Disney guests are worse than guests on other cruiselines.

I do not believe that in person is better for families, so the young ones know what to do in an emergency. You need to show children several times, and explain what is going on. A one time muster drill isn't going to teach them much.

I do not believe that many families go over with the children what is going on during a muster drill. Parents probably just drag their children to the meeting place and tell them to shut up and listen. And because the waiting takes long (in a child's mind), they get restless, start fussing around, so by the time the actual drill starts... the parente are distracted as well.

My last drill was standing on deck, listening to a CM shouting as her mic wasnt working (and she didn't know or care how to fix it), what I could hear was her trying to play games while we waited. She didn't give any other instructions, unlike the CM next to us. Then the horn blasted and we could go back to our cruise.

So... in my opinion: Disney prioritizes money over guest convenience and guest satisfaction.